The giant black dragon spread its wings and bared its neck. Devil qi rose out of its entire body, turning the air black. That sinister aura made their hair stand on end.
Just like that, the giant dragons kneeling on the ground didn't even dare to resist. They just quivered there on the ground. Even as the black dragon consumed them one by one, they didn't even make a sound.
"This is a bloodline suppression just like those Netherworld beasts summoned in the Chu family!" Long Chen's heart shook. This black dragon gave him a sense of mortal danger. A sour feeling appeared in his bones. This black dragon was definitely terrifying.
Jiang Yuhe and the others were all pale with terror. They quivered, never having seen such a lifeform.
That black dragon devoured over ten dragons before it finally stopped. Its stomach was clearly bulging. With a roar that shook all of Vile Dragon Valley, it spread its wings and flew into the depths of the valley.
The direction it was going was precisely where the ruins of the seventh branch academy were. Jiang Yuhe and the others' expressions all grew ugly.
"If you're afraid, you can leave," said Long Chen.
Return? How? Just now, while they were being flown by the dragon, they had seen the region below. These dragons were packed in this area. There was no path for them to go around them.
If they returned and startled a single one of those dragons, they would instantly become dragon dung.
"Since we've already come here, we might as well persevere until the end. I don't like giving up midway," said Zhao Qinglong lightly. Although his expression was calm, the soft hair standing on end on his neck clearly told everyone that he was just saying big words.
They had already stepped foot onto this ship, and could no longer retreat. Their only choice was to follow Long Chen. That way, they would have a slightly higher chance of survival.
This time, they all felt some regret about coming. If they had known that this would happen, they would have already retreated earlier. Now they could no longer run.
It really was a case of dying for greed. When people saw the possible profit right in front of them, they easily lost their rationality.
After that black dragon left, Vile Dragon Mountain returned to its previous state. The dragons here continued to patiently cultivate as if nothing had happened.
"Long Chen, something is off," transmitted Bai Shishi.
"This seems to be a pasture, but who knows who the master of this pasture is?" Long Chen also saw that something was wrong. The dragons here couldn't leave this valley, but that devil dragon came to hunt them, and then left after finishing its hunt. It didn't slaughter all the other dragons.
"Do you guess that that dragon had something to do with the seventh branch academy?" asked Bai Shishi.
"No need to guess. They're definitely connected. I knew that the academy wouldn't give me an easy mission," sighed Long Chen. Although he had known that this matter would not be easy to handle, based on the current state, it was even more difficult than he had expected.
Unfortunately, he had already taken the seal, and the name of the dean of the seventh branch academy was already hung over his head. No matter what, he had to try and carry out this mission.
Long Chen had Bai Xiaole capture another dragon, and they continued flying in its mouth. They finally reached the end of Vile Dragon Valley. The dragon refused to fly further than this point. It was as if it would die if it left this region.
With no other choice, they continued on foot. After leaving Vile Dragon Valley, they saw a dense forest in front of them. But this forest was even more sinister.
The vegetation here was actually all black. It seemed to suck up all the light of the world. The sunlight from above seemed to vanish when it reached here.
"Everyone take note not to make any sounds here," ordered Long Chen.
They stepped foot into this dark jungle, and all their expressions changed. This forest actually suppressed their perception to the lowest possible level. It was like they had suddenly turned blind.
As they passed through this dark forest, they didn't encounter any attack. But the air of decay in the air grew stronger until it was almost unendurable.
It felt like every breath of air here was shortening their lifespan. Adding on the suppression to their perception, feeling like they couldn't sense their surroundings made them feel like they would crumble.
However, they also didn't dare to stop here, nor did they dare to look back. They could only follow Long Chen forward. Now all of the Vile Dragon Domain's experts felt regret.
They had no idea how far that they had gone. Their senses were suppressed, and everything was black around them. They had already lost their sense of perception. That was the most terrifying thing.
Fortunately, Long Chen wasn't afraid of these things. His senses weren't suppressed. Although his sense of direction was also lost here, his sense of danger was as sharp as ever. He knew that the place with the most danger was definitely where the seventh branch academy was.
Xu Zixiong began to sweat. His breathing was labored. The others were also starting to have trouble.
Long Chen distributed medicinal pills and said, "This place is infected by the aura of the devil world. Eat these medicinal pills. They'll help you resist the devil qi, and increase your perception."
Jiang Yuhe and the others received the pills. Seeing Xu Zixiong and the others immediately consume them, they also consumed them.
They immediately felt relief after consuming those pills. Their suppressed senses also recovered a bit, giving them slightly more confidence.
They continued onwards. They quickly found the path in front of them cut off. That was because they were staring at an abyss. It was a bottomless abyss so big that they couldn't see the other side.
"According to the ancient era's map, this should be where the High Firmament Academy's seventh branch academy was," said the Iron Blood Mercenary Group's leader, taking out a bone sheet with a map carved into it. He offered it to Long Chen.
Long Chen didn't receive it. Instead, he took out two wooden cases and handed them to him.
The mercenary leader was delighted by this. Opening the cases, as expected, there were two Spirit King Pills.
Seeing this sincerity, they were all celebratory. The four of them now each had a Spirit King Pill. In a few centuries, they could advance to the Spirit tier.
There was no need for the mercenary leader to give the reminder. Long Chen had also known that this was the ruins of the seventh branch academy.
Well, while he called them ruins, there was nothing actually here. There was simply an abyss. In the distance, there was a giant crack in the air.
Devil qi was gushing out of that crack, flooding into this world. It was as if they could see the devil world through that crack. They could even hear strange voices from the other side.
Gusts of chilling wind blew. The aura of decay filled the air. Even Immortal Kings couldn't stop shaking. This place seemed to be the entrance to hell.
Long Chen squatted down and touched the ground. There was a trace of blood there.
"That black dragon should have come from this place. There's blood here, and its aura is still lingering in the air. We're going down to take a look!"
When Long Chen said this, Jiang Yuhe and the others all turned green.